Has anyone ever really shown that the allegations made by the Swift Boat Veterans against John F. Kerry were false? If someone has refuted the charges conclusively, I’ve never seen it—which makes John McCain’s continuing antipathy toward the Swiftboaters inexplicable: McCain Scrambles to Control Backers.

Speaking to reporters aboard his campaign tour bus late Tuesday, McCain acknowledged that conservative independent groups pursuing a similar line to Cunningham’s could be impossible to control.

“I think you have to worry about that, particularly the 527s,” McCain said, referring to the independent advocacy groups that are not subject to contributor limits.

“We’re aware of many of the things that 527s have done ... where unlimited amounts of money can pour into negative campaigns such as we saw against John Kerry and his combat record, as we saw against (former Georgia Sen.) Max Cleland ... they’re really very not accountable to anyone. At least I have to say ‘I’m John McCain and I approve this message.’”

And no, I’m not saying ‘down with McCain’ here. But in this case, I think he’s scoring some cheap political points at the expense of people who don’t deserve the bad rap.